A Chinese official was reprimanded for applying for employment at a US company during a business trip overseas, according to a statement released on Tuesday by China's top anti-graft watchdog.

Zhao Baoqing, an official overseeing quality inspections on imports and exports - food, machinery and other commodities - worked in the International Cooperation Department of General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine. He was interviewed by the US company while he was on an official tour last year.

After getting an offer from the company, Zhao applied for early retirement from the administration. He signed a contract with the company a day after his retirement was approved, according to a statement on the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China.

Zhao received a serious warning and has left the company, the statement said.

Under Chinese law, a governmental official who retires must wait three years before accepting employment with a company whose business is related to past official duties. For lower-level government workers, the wait time is two years.